I'd seen this place before, but only really heard about when the Texas Monthly Top 50 Burgers in Texas came out, and I believe had them as the second best burger in the state. I'll get to the burger shortly, but will say here that I agree it's great.
First off, I'd classify this place as an upscale dive. The upscale is related to the quality and freshness of the food, while the dive represents the atmosphere, which is very much the old school counter/flat-top/diner model. It's only open for breakfast and lunch, and is great for both. Don't get too big of a group together though, as the seating for anymore than two is limited to only a few tables. It's a great place though to grab a bite if you're by yourself. Belly up at the counter and watch the short order cooks go to work while you sip on a can of Lone Star.
I've had breakfast there a couple of times. The first time I went was with a group of friends, five of us, and we were lucky to immediately get one of the two picnic tables in the parking lot out front. I did as I typically do and asked the waitress what the best thing on the menu was. She told me to get the benedict, but substitute breakfast sausage for the pastrami. Yeah, pastrami. I thought that sounded great, but the sausage was a good call. You could tell it was fresh, homemade sausage. If you've ever made your own sausage, without adding a bunch of extra fat, you notice that it's very light colored, almost white, when it's done. This is what you get here, and it's great. Good clean sausage, feels healthy, with light seasoning and just enough heat from what looks like red pepper flakes to wake up your tongue and start your morning off right. The eggs were poached perfectly and the hollandaise was great. I added a bit of hot sauce to each bite, and it was really awesome. I'll get this again, and this gets a Fat Artery award for both tasting great while fattening the arteries.
Second time I went for breakfast was with my lovely wife, and we took Nicki and Pearl, the labs, with us and got seats at a picnic table outside alongside two UT students, one who appeared to be, like, sorority, and one who seemed a little grounded. One hungover, and one fresh for the day. Both very nice though, I can't knock either. Anyway, I had to have the sausage again, so got an order of that and one blueberry pancake. The sausage didn't disappoint, and the pancake was great. First off, it was the size of a plate and at least a half inch thick, so I did well with an order of one. Great blueberry content, lots of them, large blueberries, and uniformly throughout. I wiped it with butter, drenched it in syrup, and ate most of my bites with a piece of sausage.
I've only eaten lunch at the Counter Cafe once, but it certainly won't be my last. Mid-afternoon I took a seat at the bar, and was surprised from behind by the waitress as opposed to where I expected to see her, behind the counter. Guess they've got that reserved for the cooks. Anyway, I had to get the burger, so I did, along with counter fries and a can of Lone Star. Nothing disappointed, and I agree that the burger is one of the best. Medium thickness patty grilled over gas on a well-seasoned grill, topped with fresh ingredients and set on a really soft buttered and griddled bun. It was nice sized but not so big as to stuff you. Everything on the menu looks really good, but unless I hit this place up more than once a week, I'll be hard pressed to stray from this.
Summary:
Atmosphere: old school skinny diner, countercentric, good for breakfast or lunch, good for the solo traveler, good for hangovers, not good for more than four
Food: breakfast and lunch, upscale diner food with fresh ingredients, excellent
Dog Friendly: yes, but limited space, just two outdoor tables and probably not dog friendly on a hot day, as one is on the blacktop and one on concrete with very limited shade
When to Go: after a good night of drinking, late morning on Saturday or Sunday, and grab a beer while you wait for your table
Crowd: diverse, students, neighborhood people, all age ranges, all socioeconomic levels (yeah, that's right, socioeconomic, ok though, not the homeless)
What to Order for the First Timer: Breakfast: Sausage and Blueberry Pancakes. Lunch: Counter Burger and Counter Fries.
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